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UFC Betting and Prediction Information Site

Welcome to my blog which deals with mixed martial arts betting and preview with a detailed analysis on the world of MMA. This blogs covers anything relating to the UFC, Strikeforce, Dreams or any other MMA organization.

Monday, December 24, 2007

UFC 79: Nemesis Betting Preview


For a full matchup report of all thsese fights go to http://www.fighting-mma.com/
for all UFC betting odds and matchup information provided by UFC expert Stan Leung


Matt Hughes vs. Georges St. Pierre

Georges St Pierre is the perfect fighter as even DanWhite has called him the all purpose fighter. GSP has the striking, the power and upper body strengthen over Hughes. GSP just has too much power in the stand up. 5 years ago Matt Hughes was unstoppable. He just doesn’t seem to want it as much as he did before and he has other outside influences taken him away from fighting. With all that Bible talk and him talking about God rather than training, I feel Hughes has lost the will to fight and compete. Georges St Pierre becomes the interim UFC welterweight champion with a KO of Matt Hughes

Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva

Wanderlei Silva is one of the most feared strikers in the world and has fought every top level MMA fighter in the world no matter the size. Silva has been train with Team Couture in Vegas at Xtremecouture and Randy will have important inside information on how to fight Liddell. He is fighting top level fighters while training. Where is Chuck Liddell training?

Liddell throws wild punches and his hands are constantly wide and to the side. When he fights a pure striker like Silva he will not be able to handle the striking technique or power. Wanderlei will lay a beating on Chuck in the first right and at the start of the second round will punish Chuck until the ref will mercifully stop this fight.

Wanderlei will KO Liddell.

For a full UFC match up report go to http://www.fighting-mma.com/

Lyoto Machida vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

Machida is more experienced and has fought tough opponents and has been in the UFC octagon before but you can not look past the raw pure talent of Sokoudjou. He is so strong and with his judo background he will be able to flip Machida for a ground and pound victory. Look out MMA fans because Sokoudjou is coming to the UFC and will make a statement

Take Sokoudjou to win in the second round by TKO on strikes due to a vicious ground and pound.

Nate Mohr vs. Manvel Gamburyan

Even though Mohr has more experience I like Gamburyan in this fight. His body type gives a lot of fighters problems and he has a good judo back ground and with that type of base he will be able extinguish Mohr’s ground and pound. Mohr will not be able to submit Gamburyan and he will be able to frustrate his game plan.

Take Gamburyan in a three round decision

Tony DeSouza vs. Roan “Jucao” Carneiro

DeSouza’s game will be to take him down and submit Carneiro down. Both of them have great Jujitsu skills but DeSouza’s BJJ will not over power Carneiro game so the fight will be won in the stand up and Carneiro has a very big advantage in this category. Both fighters are complementary and each will neutralize each other fight game but this fight will be won on the takedowns and striking

Carneiro wins a three round decision over DeSouza

For a full UFC match up report go to http://www.fighting-mma.com/mma-matchups/ufc-79-tony-desouza-roan-carneiro.php

Dean Lister vs Jordan Radev

Radev does have a punchers chance but this will be his first time in the UFC octagon in front of a large crowd and he will be fighting a world class grappler and Radev has not even fought anyone to his caliber yet. Despite Lister lack of a stand up game he has never been knocked out and he has fought some of the toughest middleweights in the world.
Lister wins by second round triangle choke

Friday, December 21, 2007

Shamrock vs Shamrock


Ken Shamrock gave an interview on HDNet Fights about fighting his brother Frank. Judging from his comments it seems like it may be a done deal.

“Well first of all it’s the first time that it’s been done in any sport that brother has versed brother,” said Shamrock. “It’s not a bad thing. Me and my brother did this for a living. I brought my brother into the sport. I’ve always dominated my brother, he knows that. Now he wants a chance in front of the world since I may have gotten a little older and a little slower. He thinks that he wants to come in and show everyone that he’s the big brother but you know what, blood brothers man. We’re going to make that happen.

It’s not a dirty thing, we don’t hate each other. The fact is I respect what he’s done with myself and I’m looking forward to getting in there and doing a little sibling rivalry in the ring.”

for all other MMA related news or MMA articles

go to http://www.fighting-mma.com/

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

UFC 77 Predictions

UFC 77 UFC Betting Analysis and Predictions by Stan Leung of www.fighting-mma.com the place to go for UFC Betting

Middleweight Championship bout: Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin

In their last fight Silva put on a MMA clinic as he busted up Franklin’s face so bad he had to have reconstructive surgery. What different this time? Nothing, Franklin won’t strike with him as he is way over matched in the stand up. Look for another spanking in from of his home crowd.

Silva beats down Franklin again

Heavyweight bout: Brandon Vera vs. Tim Sylvia

Tim Sylvia is fat, big, slow and has virtually no skills. Brandon Vera on the other hand possess a great wrestling background, as well as a great jujitsu background. He has greater striking ability but wont stand and trade with the bigger Sylvia. Instead he will take down Sylvia and from there he will either ground and pound him out or submit him.

Second Round Submission by Vera

Light heavyweight bout: Eric Schafer vs. Stephan Bonnar

Eric John "Ravishing Red" Schafer is a BJJ and ground specialist and Bonnar is suppose to be a great BJJ practitioner but we constantly see him do stupid thins in th octagon. Schafer is very crafty on the ground and before his loss to Michael Bisping he submitted his last 6 fighters. Eric Schafer has great skills and will surprise Bonnar with a second round submission.
Schafer wins by submission


Middleweight bout: Kalib Starnes vs. Alan Belcher

Alan Belcher is a very tough fighter and with time will someday be a top middleweight. Kalib Starnes has moved to the American Top Team which is probably the best club in the North American right now with a wealth of MMA fighters. Now that he trains away from home so he can concentrate on his conditioning and MMA career instead of partying.

Take Starnes with another 3 round decision.


Lightweight bout: Jorge Gurgel vs. Alvin Robinson

Jorge Gurgel is suppose to be a Brazilian Jujitsu expert but from what I have seen he is a little boy in a big man’s world. Look for Robinson to press the attack in the stand up and confuse Gurgel all night. Cincinnati both your home town heroes will go down at UFC 77.

Take Robinson in the three round decision.

Middleweight bout: Yushin Okami vs. Jason MacDonald

Two fighters that have recently lost to Rich Franklin square off. This will be no contest for Okami who has really incredible striking. He will storm in at the sound of the bell and punch out the Canadian grappler with little ease.

Easy first round TKO for Okami who should have beaten Franklin


Welterweight bout: Josh Burkman vs. Forrest Petz

Josh Burkman sucks but Forrest Petz is even worse. He is basically on the card because he is from Ohio. Look for a quick knock out by Burkman on an average fighter as best.

Take Burkman to KO Petz in the first round


Lightweight bout: Matt Grice vs. Jason Black

Jason Black has lost to Thiago Tavares, Shinya Aoki and Shonie Carter and his record is 21-3-1 and he is no joke. Black is an all round fighter with great stand up and above average grappling skills. Matt Grice is an up and coming fighter but at this stage he has not fought the level of competition that Black has.

First round submission by Black in the second round

For all mixed martial arts match ups go to ww.fighting-mma.com
to bet on these fights got to BetUS.com where they will give you a 50 free bet if you deposit 100

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Mixed Martial Arts Pod Cast

Now you can get all your latest mixed marital ars news, MMA articles at fighting-mma.com.

This mixed martial arts website has added a new feature podcast so now you have the abilty now to not only read about mixed mariral arts but listen to it as well.

The site also contains

MMA matchups so you can know who and how much to bet on

So stay up on your UFC and mixed martial arts news at fighting-mma.com.




Remember when in doubt knock em out

Monday, July 16, 2007

UFC Fighter Salaries

As popularity continues to grow with the UFC, so do the pay-per-view and gate totals. However, are the fighter’s salaries rising at a slower rate?

In 2006, the UFC reportedly made, in the neighborhood of, 223 million dollars from pay-per-view events. Those numbers are an incredible accomplishment for a sport thought to be a league of goons. With the sport of Mixed Martial Arts blowing up the way it has, the pay-per-view numbers for 2007 could destroy the 223 million from 2006...

the rest of this mma articles can be found at fighting-mma.com

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Ignorance Is Bliss

A hard right connects with the left side of the jaw. In slow motion the jaw appears to temporarily leave the socket and then relocate itself. Who would want that? Some say, MMA fighting is a ridiculous sport filled with a bunch of goons with no real talent; while true fight fans know the training these fighters put in leads to great talent and by no means are these guys just a bunch of jar-heads.

Sure, the most talented fighter doesn’t always win, which brings luck into the ring. Take the Matt Serra, George St. Pierre fight. One slip turned into a champion getting pummeled. That was luck not goonery. When St. Pierre picked apart Matt Hughes in their second go around it was pure talent, which created that performance. For people to walk around and say MMA fighting is a ridiculous sport for goons, it’s just as ignorant as calling a poker player an athlete.

read rest of the story

Monday, June 11, 2007

NFL is just around the corner

Well can you feel it in the air as we get our first rumblings of the NFL. First, we had Chad Johnson of the Cincinnati Bengals or Ocho Cinco race a horse for charity. Also we had most online sportsbooks and sports betting websites start popsting their online betting odds for the 2007/08 NFL football season.

The New England Patriots and the Chicago Bears are the favorites to win conference championships in the 2007-08 NFL season, according to odds released by most online Internet sportsbooks. The Partriots added some key NFL free-agents like all prop wide receiver Randy Moss, Junior Seau and Donte' Stallworth.

Now that we coming to the NFL football season we are also coming to the NFL football betting season. Lets face it folks, The National Football League would not be where it is today without sports betting.

Doc Sports is a great NFL Football handicapping site that has great NFL Picks as well as NCAA college football picks, MLB, NHL and NBA sports picks.

This site has been around for years and includes great sports betting information, live betting lines from various sportsbooks, handicapping matchup reports, sports scores, sports schedules and handicapping resources for onoine NFL and sports bettors.

Friday, May 25, 2007

UFC 71: Liddell vs Jackson

Source: www.fighting-mma.com

Read the mixed martial arts handicapping by Stan Leung one of the foremost MMA handicapper in the world

First of all Rampage is the exact same fighter Chuck is except he throws and much heavier punch. There will be no secret in this fight as both fighters will stand toe to toe and one guy will be carried out.

The fight will play out like this: Bell rings, both fighter touch gloves. Rampage rushed in and put Chuck to the cage picks him up slams him and then process to beat Chuck until the ref stops the fight.

Bottom Line: Chuck has not fought any fighter with as much punching power as he does. If you saw the first Pride fight he did not know what to do once he found out that he has more power than him, so he retreating ended up getting beat like a rented mule.

He already beat Chuck to a pulp. Take Jackson at a +165 Underdog to win again.

read hte rest of the mma matchups

Sports betting - Picking the Right Service

When it comes to online sports betting it is always tough to choose which online sports handicapping service you want to go with for you online sports bets or when you are making your sports picks.

There are so many handicapping service out there you must always ask yourself : Which one is the best?

I have scoured through and been working in the online sports betting industry for over 5 years now. I know a lot of the player and big names in Vegas as well as a lot of executives at various online sportsbooks and handicapping services.

On Intern sports handicapping website I found very reputable and honest (a very big key these days) is sharkhandicapping.com that are well known for their NFL football picks.

This main handicapper Mark has been in the sports betting industry for 30 years with his roots in horse racing at Santa Anita Park. The website specializes in sports picks that are updated daily for college basketball picks, NBA picks, NFL football picks, college football picks, and free baseball picks.

In addition to the regualar handicapping services www.sharkhandicapping.com offers free sports picks, VIP selections, memberships, NFL picks, NCAA college football analysis, NBA picks, NCAA basketball betting analysis, MLB baseball picks, NHL ice hockey picks, and sports tips.

I checked out most online sports handicapping services out there and this one is one of the best and most reputable out there today.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

The Power of Celebrity

Once upon a utopian time, broadcasting a sport was just about that sport.

Now? Not so much.

Now it is increasingly becoming about celebrity. Our culture has been programmed by Hollywood to be celebrity obsessed. Since the first commercial films were produced early last century, the moguls running the studios understood that mass marketing of their “stars” made the sheep fans lineup at the movie houses.

Moviegoers were programmed into thinking the lives of those they were seeing up there on the silver screen were simply fabulous. In reality, again, not so much.
Yet the power of celebrity continues. From the seemingly inexplicable obsession with a has-been small-talent teenybopper named Britney, to sites like TMZ.com that live off, and make a fortune from, catching the rich and famous being stupid and pathetic, we apparently can’t get enough.

Today’s entertainment moguls running sports broadcasting have clearly noticed – and they have recently – to borrow a phrase from another of the entertainment industry’s manufactured talents – bumped it up a notch.

The Kentucky Derby has been on television since 1952. For more than half a century the coverage has been all about racing tradition, the Derby’s history, the great horses from previous years, the possibility of one of the field becoming the next legendary 3-year old, the mint juleps, and the drunks in the infield.

Now? To start the coverage on Saturday we got perhaps the B-est of all B-celebrities, Jennifer Tilly.

Tilly has three claims to fame as far as I know. First and foremost is her cleavage. Second, once she was in a lesbo-sex scene with Gina Gershon and third, she is a celebrity poker player.
Was it those gambling skills that got her on the tube? Not when the only insight she could offer was: "I don't know a lot about horses. I'm not a scientist of it."

Shortly there afterwards came Nick Lachey, the once 98 Degrees boy-band member whose greatest accomplishment since has been seeing his ex-wife, Jessica Simpson naked. He was showing off his new girlfriend, C-celeb, Vanessa Minnillo and the fact that he was less of a scientist than Tilly. Some sports guys did show up shortly there afterwards: Byron Leftwich and Michael Strahan. What did those two football players know about handicapping? Nothing it turns out.

But the icing on the cake came from actor Jerry O'Connell, who you of course remember as the fat kid from Stand by Me, (No?) who said he had just met the Queen, (who was at the race adding some much needed class)…

…in the port-a-potty line.

Oh, and the laughter that ensued.

NBC does have a problem broadcasting the Kentucky Derby. How do you fill a three-hour time slot when the object of the exercise is a sporting event that lasts two-minutes? It appears that, just like the folks who make movies, those in television have also run out of ideas.

The Derby is just the latest victim. This has been raising its ugly head in all major sports television properties, but it seems to me recently, even more so. Watching the NBA post season coverage, that sport is even more celebrity obsessed than the rest.

In the Raptors Nets series, the producers couldn’t get enough of James Gandolfini. The Sopranos star was there supporting the Nets, and the only interest he added to the broadcast was trying to figure out how he fit his bulk - he looked even larger on the NBA small screen than on the HBO series - in that little courtside seat. Bruce Willis was also there in all his glory. The difference was they gave him a microphone clearly not realizing he was two-sheets to the wind. They got their celebrity on their air – and they got that celebrity to swear! Ratings jump!
Desperate Housewife Eva Longoria is engaged to San Antonio Spur Tony Parker, yet despite her sitting in the stands, she’s getting more airtime than him. The irony of it all is she couldn’t look more bored whenever she’s on camera.

Not all the celebrity content is bad. Interviewing Wayne Gretzky on the sidelines of the Suns-Spurs series, he did offer some insight into how his playmaking ability on the ice is similar to Steve Nash’s on the court. Then after being asked if Nash playing with six stitches was part of a Canadian hockey player mentality, Gretzky revealed he once got cut for 78 stitches. Frankenstein Lives!

Those occasions are rare. It remains a mystery to me why those in sports television are so obsessed with getting celebrities in the broadcasts. It couldn’t be that they are as celebrity obsessed as the rest of us could it? The bottom line is this: The games in the NBA post season have been great. The Kentucky Derby was as well. Why do we need all that so-called “sizzle” when the substance is so good?

Friday, April 27, 2007

NBA Playoff Preview: Toronto vs New Jersey

Toronto was fortunate to have homecourt advantage in its opening round playoff series with New Jersey. It allowed the inexperienced Raptors two games at home to shake off their playoff butterflies. They didn't play particularly well in either game against the Nets but still managed to escape with a split after dropping the opener.


The plot should thicken Friday night when the series resumes at the Meadowlands, where Toronto was trounced by double digits in both regular-season meetings with New Jersey.
The Nets return home realizing they squandered a golden opportunity to lead the series 2-0. They gave up 31 points in the fourth quarter of Game 2 (including an 11-1 deficit at the free-throw line) and allowed the Raptors to score the final seven points in a contest that was an offensive mess from start to finish.


In fact, the first two games of the series were painful to watch. New Jersey shot .416 in the two games. The Nets defense checked the Raptors to .410.


New Jersey coach Lawrence Frank is hoping that a change of venue will perk up Vince Carter. The Nets go-to guy shot 8-of-24 in Game 2 as a sequel to a 5-of-19 Game 2.
Toronto coach Sam Mitchell switched defensive assignments late in the second game putting Anthony Parker on Carter; the ploy worked like a charm. Carter ended up going 2-for-8 with two turnovers in the fourth quarter.


Parker's brief defensive success prompted him to suggest that guarding Carter isn't as difficult individually as it might seem. Maybe that will be enough to get Carter going.
The Raptors were 17-24 on the road this year, and of the 16 playoff teams, only Washington, Orlando and Golden State had fewer wins away from home. They have lost 16 of 23 all-time at the Meadowlands.


Frank has warned his team not to think just because they are playing in the swamp again that everything is going to be peachy.


Toronto has 'covered' at a 49-29 clip on the road and it has cashed 15 of its last 17 on the highway when playing on Friday. However, the Raptors are 0-7 against the spread on the road after losing two of their last three games.


New Jersey is 11-3 ATS at home when playing six or less games in 14 days. Toronto can match that, getting the money in 15 of 20 on the road under similar circumstances.
The Raptors have knuckled 'under' in 26 of 41 on the road and in 13 of their last 14 outings after playing two straight games at Air Canada Centre. They have been on the low side in 13 of 18 against division foes and the Nets have followed suit in 32 of 49 against division opponents.
Five of the last six series showdowns in the Garden State have stayed below the 'total'.

Free Pick of the Day: Royals at Mariners

Prediction: Mariners

Although Seattle climbed to within one game of .500 with a win at Oakland on Thursday - its third victory in a row - most people would have to agree that the Mariners' season has been a big disappointment so far. But nothing cures the slow-start ills like the Royals coming into town for a three-game weekend series. In this battle of relatively unknown lefties, Seattle's Horacio Ramirez will face KC's Jorge De La Rosa. Neither pitcher is familiar with the other team as Ramirez has never faced the Royals and De La Rosa has never faced the Mariners. Ramirez has won his only home start for Seattle back on April 15 while De La Rosa's team has lost his last three road starts (and four out his last five). KC is only batting .236 versus lefties. The Royals also have an abysmal record in Seattle having lost 10 of their last 13 games. Between them, the two teams have 11 players on the DL and 10 of those are pitchers. KC is in the worst shape with six of its hurlers out of commission right now.

Take Seattle.

Friday, February 02, 2007

UFC 67 Match Ups by fighting-mma.com

UFC 67 : All or Nothing Game
Anderson Silva vs Travis Lutter
Silva -400

www.bodog.com

Out of all the contestants on the Ultimate Fighter reality show Travis Lutter was far and beyond the best middle weight that could match up versus Silva. That being said there is no one in the world right now in the middle weight division that can even touch Silva. Most American don’t know how good Silva is. Once a member of the famed Chute Boxe Academy, he later left and formed the Muay Thai Dream Team. He has competed in PRIDE Fighting Championship, Shooto, and Rumble on the Rock, and holds wins over fighters such as Rich Franklin, Hayato Sakurai, Carlos Newton, and Lee Murray.

This guy is all world. Lutter one way to win is to take him to the ground and submit him. Lutter has and excellent ground game, but what many people don’t realize is that Silva is also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which he earned in 2005 from Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira but he prefers to stand and knock people out.

In the Ultimate Fighter reality show Lutter didn’t have the cardio to beat his matches. Though he won them easily you could tell his conditioning was poor.

Bottom Line: Silva is the most dominate middle weight in the world today. He is the total package with the best stand up in the world in the middle weight category and an excellent ground game in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu while Lutter only has the ground game

Too much of everything for Lutter to handle

UFC 67 : All or Nothing Game
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Eddie Sanchez
Cro Cop -1400
www.BetUS.com

This fight is feeding the lamb to the wolves. Eddie Sanchez has no chance in hell to beat Cro Cop. Mirko was brought in to bring the UFC to the next level. He is the UFC’s future and with Cro Cop unable to defeat the top heavyweights in Pride I’m sure he wants to be a champion somewhere. But remember the top ten heavyweights in Pride could smoke any heavyweight in the UFC.

After Saturday people in North America will know who Cro Cop is. Cro Cop has unbelievable and I mean unbelievable stand up skills. And he has added to his fighting range in recent years has and has improved his ground fighting as well as his submission fighting, training with the likes of Fabricio Werdum. He has even submitted people and looks for submission when he fights. This is the next UFC heavyweight champion. Nuffsaid. I have not even look at Sanchez fighting stats or his fights but against Cro Cop it won’t matter. Sanchez is undefeated with 6 win and 0 loses but he has found no one I have every heard of and he will try to trade with Mirko and that is a MAJOR mistake

Bottom Line: Cro Cop will mow every heavyweight in the UFC down and be the next heavyweight champion.

First Round KO. Right high kick to the head; What else. This is a sure thing. Bet farm and the kids college funds


UFC 67 : All or Nothing Game
Quinton Jackson vs. Marvin Eastman
Jackson - 700
http://www.sportbet.com/index.asp?BannerId=21053

Eastman is not quite the sacrifice to the lambs as Sanchez is to the Cro Cop fight but Jackson will have to work for this match. Eastman has been a steady MMA fighter for a long time now. He has made a couple of appearances on the big UFC stage but has never been able to break through to the upper level. Eastman is currently the Elite Light heavyweight champion and has been busy fighting. He will pose a threat for Rampage but will eventually be overpowered by Jackson. Marvin has decent grounds skills but Jackson should have not trouble defending the shoot and than picking Eastman up and showing the American audience his famous slam.

Bottom Line: They don’t call him Rampage for nothing. Look for Quinton to swarm in and rain down a barrage or punches. He has the charisma and identity that Dana White wants but he will have to earn it against Eastman.

Remember the defeat when Eastman lost to Vitor Belfort, this one might be as ugly but look for it to happen in the second round

For all other MMA match ups go to www.fighting-mma.com

Monday, January 15, 2007

Too Many Kids

After her fifth child, Lucy decided that she should have some cosmetic surgery "down below" to restore herself to her former youthful glory because her bomb doors were dangling a bit too low and looked like a ripped out fireplace. Time and childbirth had taken its toll and she reckoned that, with five children now being the limit, she'd tidythings with a nip here and a tuck there so it looked more like a piggy bank slot rather than a badly packed kebab.

Following the operation she awoke from her anesthetic to find three roses at the end of the bed.

"Who are these from?" she asked thenurse,"They're very nice but I'm a bit confused as to why I've receivedthem.

"Well" said the nurse, "The first is from the surgeon - the operationwent so well and you were such a model patient that he wanted to say thanks".

Ahhh, that's really nice" said Lucy."The second is from your husband - he's delighted the operation was such a success that he can't wait to get you home. Apparently it'll be the first time he's touched the sides for years and he's veryexcited!

".Brilliant!" said Lucy. "And the third?".

That's from Eric in the burns unit", said the nurse. "He just wanted to say thanks for his new ears."

Thursday, January 11, 2007

NBA: Cavaliers at Suns: Nets at Bulls

Cavaliers at Suns

When Phoenix entertains Cleveland on Thursday in a potential NBA Finals preview it will be a matchup between the best defensive team in the East and the best offensive team on the planet.
The Suns have won seven straight, but have looked a little bit blas after a steady diet of cupcakes. Challenges against the Cavaliers and Orlando should prove a welcome wake up call.
Cleveland takes a trip to the West Coast in early January every year and nearly every year it proves to be a disaster. Since the turn of the century, the Cavaliers are 9-33 on their annual Western sojourn.

However, Cleveland started the trip on a high note Tuesday when it beat Sacramento for only the second time in seven visits to Arco Arena, 108-98. The Cavaliers have won five straight, eight of nine and four of their last five on the road. At one point they were 4-9 away from home, but they have passed four of their last five road tests.

Phoenix has won 14 of its last 15 at US Airways Center (9-5-1 against the spread). The Suns have won 11 of their last 14 versus Cleveland and hold a 35-9 edge in games played in Phoenix. They haven't lost a home game to the Cavaliers since 1998.

The last four series encounters have eclipsed the total with the teams combining to average 221 points per game. However, the Suns have slipped below the number in 13 of their last 16 outings, including six of eight at home.

Nets at Bulls

New Jersey and Chicago meet for the second time in less than a week in the first half of TNT's Thursday double-header.

The Nets nipped the Bulls at the Meadowlands last Friday as one-point underdogs, 91-86. New Jersey has won four of its last five and covered five straight. The Nets lost and failed in both visits to the United Center last season, but they have cashed eight of 11 versus Chicago overall.
The Bulls are playing back-to-back following a Wednesday workout at Washington - the Wizards won 113-103 as 4 ½-point home favorites. Chicago has covered four straight when playing without rest.

Four of the last six series confrontations have zipped over. New Jersey has dribbled under in 10 of its last 13 trips to the post and Chicago has followed suit in eight of its last 12 chances in the Windy City.